Improvement in bill-files



BQHI OWEN;

No. 212,493. Patent ed Feb. 1 8-, 1879.

ATTORNEYS;

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIoE EDWARD H. OWEN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BILL-FILES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,493, dated February 18, 1879; application filed August 3, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EDWARD HOPSON OWEN, of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Files for the Preservation of Court and other Public Records, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved file or cover opened. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the back of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to furnish an improved file or cover for the preservation of court and other public documents, which shall be so constructed that the papers can be arranged in chronological order without being folded, so that its use will facilitate the inspection of the records, will prevent the misplacing and loss of any of the papers, and will protect them from wear and tear, which is unavoidable when they are folded and tied up in unwieldy bundles.

A are the sides or leaves of the file or cover, which are made of binders board, covered with paper, cloth, or leather, and at their inner edges are flexibly connected, by cloth or leather, with the outer edges oftwo strips, B, an inch (more or less) in width. The strips B at their inner edges are flexibly connected, by cloth or leather, with the edges of a strip, G, about an inch wide, and which forms the back of the file or cover. To the inner surface of the back 0 are secured the edges of a number of stubs, D, made of strong muslin or other suitable material, and which are gummed ready for the attachment of the papers. The stubsD are made of about the same width as the side strips B.

Upon the outer side of the back 0 is indorsed the name of the court, county, and State in which the case is to be tried, and the names of the parties to the suit, as shown in Fig. 2.

The inner surface of the rear leaf of the file or cover is ruled with cross-lines, in the mannor of ordinary writing-paper, with two parallel longitudinal lines through its center, at such a distance apart as to allow the word Page to be written between their upper ends, and with a single longitudinal line parallel with the right-hand edge, and at such a distance from it as to allow the word Page to be written between its upper end and the said edge. At the top of the wide spaces should be written the word Index, as shown in Fig. 1.

Upon the inner surface of the front leaf of the file or cover is formed a pocket, E, of the same size as the said leaf, so that it may receive papers of the same size as those attached to the stubs D. The pocket E is especially designed for the convenience of those who may be engaged in copying papers contained in the file or cover, and who may be interrupted before completing their work.

The inner surface of the front leaf of the file or cover, or rather of the pocket E attached to the said leaf, is ruled with cross-lines, in the manner of ordinary writing-paper, and uponthe right'hand upper part are ruled two parallel longitudinal lines, at such a distance apart as to allow the words Minute Book to be writ ten between their upper ends, and at such a distance between the right-hand line and the right-hand edge of the page as to allow the word Page to be written between its upper end and the said edge. Upon the upper crossline is written the words Dates of Entries made on the Minutes of the Trial, and upon the cross-line below the lower ends of the longitudinal lines is written the word Remarks, as shown in Fig. 1.

The file or cover is made a little larger than a sheet of legal-cap paper.

In the two side strips B, near their ends and directly opposite each other, are formed holes F, in which should be inserted metallic eyelets.

In using the file or cover each paper, in the order in which it is received, is gummed to the stubs D, and is immediately entered in the index, so that it can be conveniently and quickly referred to when desired. If the papers in a case are voluminous, several files or covers may be used, and should be marked Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, 850., or A, B, 440 77 &

When a file or cover has been filled, holes are made, with an awl or other suitable imple- A, strips 13 B, median strip 0, and guimned ment, through the stubs D and the ends of the stubs D, the leaves A A being connected flexipapers, in line with the eyelet-holes F, and bly with strips B, having eyelet-holes F, and tapes are passed through and tied, thus givthese with the median strip 0, as and for the ing additional security to the papers. purpose specified.

Having thus described my invention, I claim EDWARD HOPSON OWEN. as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- Witnesses: ent- D. M. ADAMS,

The file consisting of the two stiff leaves A l GRIFFIN JOHNSTON. 

